Barcelona 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: Player ratings

Searching for their third win of the new Champions League campaign on the trot, Barcelona hosted Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 3.

A victory would prove crucial in propelling them towards a first knockout stage appearance in three years, and a victory they achieved.

It was not straightforward at all, as Shakhtar managed to put together some decent spells of possession in the first half, before grabbing a goal out of nowhere in the second due to a lapse in concentration.

The Catalans had managed to get things going after a sloppy start, with this exciting and young, albeit makeshift team earning another important result and proving once again that La Masia continues to be Barcelona’s crown jewel.

But ahead of El Clasico at the weekend, there are some worries to address as the pressure piled on after the interval…

Here are the blaugrana outfit’s individual performances from the night analysed.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6.5

Did not have much to do except gather a few routine shots, loose passes and crosses and could not do much about Shakhtar’s goal.

Joao Cancelo: 7.5

A very bright display on the ball, showing nifty footwork, slotting into midfield as an extra passing option, and sweeping up any danger down his flank while posing plenty when he went the other way with the ball.

Does lose points for being too far out of position for Shakhtar’s goal, but his overall contribution more than makes up for it.

Ronald Araujo: 7.5

Near imperious in one-on-one situations, always reliable in aerial duels, sweeping up loose touches and stopping breakaways in their tracks – an assured presence at the back, dwindling a little as Shakhtar came at Barcelona in the second half.

Inigo Martinez: 7.5

Building off a wonderful performance against his former club over the weekend Inigo, once again as he held the fort on his end defensively, but the staple of his performance were some immaculate passes, which he completed 91% of.

Like his centre-back partner, was a bit more exposed in the second period but did not do anything particularly wrong.

Marcos Alonso: 5.5

Dwelled on the ball for a bit too long on a few occasions, took a few loose touches but also made a couple of good recoveries and interceptions.

Fermin Lopez: 9.5

Handed his first start in the Champions League in Gavi’s absence, Fermin was absolutely dynamite in the middle of the park.

Agile in turning and evading his markers, showing some deft footwork and even playing some great passes, the 20-year-old was easily the star of the show.

After a bright start, a great run into the box saw him hit the post, with Ferran Torres thumping the follow-up home for the opener, while his second was a searing strike from outside the box that rattled in off the post.

His eye for goal – and shooting ability – is a trait that not many midfielders at Barcelona have had and is definitely something to look out for as he also hit the post once and had a brilliant header ruled out for offside.

Oriol Romeu: 6.5

A shaky display on the ball from the veteran midfielder was offset by some good tackles and recoveries – but his discomfort in possession is slightly worrying.

Ilkay Gundogan: 7.5

A day after his 33rd birthday, Gundogan distributed well, picked up the ball in good positions and made sure things keep ticking without too many errors. Also played a superb through-ball to Fermin Lopez in the lead up to Torres’ opener.

Lamine Yamal: 7

Had a couple of moments where his raw talent and ability to take on his markers were on show, and while he did not make a huge impression, he slowly grew into the game. Just needs to work on decision-making, which will come with time.

Joao Felix: 6.5

Some clever flicks in half-spaces and line-breaking pass attempts all adorned Joao Felix’s display today, but he was not as bright as he could be and even dallied on the ball for too long which eventually led to Shakhtar’s goal on the counter.

Went off injured in the final 20 minutes, which is a huge blow for Barcelona ahead of El Clasico.

Ferran Torres: 8.5

Reverting to a central position, the Shark made some terrific movements and combined well with Felix to find spaces. Ultimately, the Spaniard had a hand in both goals, scoring the first with a sweet volleyed finish and assisting the second.

SUBSTITUTES

Alejandro Balde: 6

Added a bit more energy and impetus to the side which helped see out the result, but also got booked.

Marc Guiu: 5.5

Replaced the injured Felix and was ready to make runs in behind. Understandably hard to replicate the kind of impact he had over the weekend.

Marc Casado: 5.5

Chased the ball down diligently after coming on for his Champions League debut, but did not have much time to make a big impression.

Andreas Christensen: 6

Brought on to freshen up the defence after Shakhtar began showing threat and did well to calm things down.